“Giving your son a skill is better than giving him one thousand pieces of gold.” Chinese Proverb
New And Rekindled Passions Turns out, Todd became a great coach, teaching Austin the skills he had taught himself all those years ago and much more. By the age of 12, Austin began playing on ice – a faster and much more physical form of hockey - and he started to get serious about his play. He still plays roller hockey on occasion, but ice hockey (“the most exciting sport there is”) is now his main focus. He plays at The Ice Forum in Duluth, which is the practice facility of the Gwinnett Gladiators, and The Cooler in Alpharetta. A rabid Chicago Blackhawks fan, Austin has always played goalie. He is on several teams, including the ice and roller squads at Brookwood High School , as well as other travel and league teams. Coincidentally, Austin is coached regularly by Dan Bouchard, an NHL standout who once served as a goalie for the Atlanta and Calgary Flames, the same Flames player who was Todd’s boyhood hero. One moment stands out to Austin as a turning point in his play. At 14, he went to an Atlanta Thrashers game and got to see opposing team Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward play upclose. “I wanted to be just like him,” Austin remembered. “He seemed to care more, to try 110 percent.”
Todd Cormack and son Austin
Unfortunately Austin is currently not playing due to what may be a serious high ankle injury. Now undergoing testing and reviewing
treatment options, he is hoping to recover and resume trying to keep the puck from sliding between the pipes. Austin would love to play at the collegiate level, where it is exclusively ice hockey. And he has caught the coaching bug. He and Todd are currently coaching together. Austin also gives talks at camps to young goalies. (It seems dad has passed a passion to his son after all.) Coming Full Circle Todd has come full circle, it seems. He is now coaching exclusively the 8U teams – the little guys – kids that are now the age he was when he played in the street all those years ago. And he has continued to play as well now in several adult roller leagues at SGAA. His passion for play is as strong as ever. “I live for the nights I get to go play hockey,” he said. “I’ll play as long as my knees and hips will let me play.” True passions never disappear forever. Sometimes they will stray temporarily, but they never wander too far. In the case of the Cormacks, the passion fruit didn’t fall far from the tree. Of course, a family tree’s roots run the deepest. Reg L. Carver is a writer and designer in Johns Creek, Georgia. You can find him at www.reglcarver.com.
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